Riley County Commissioners Ron Wells, left, Marvin Rodriguez and Ben Wilson. (Staff photo by Brady Bauman)
Riley County commissioners approved an agreement 3-0 Monday morning with Fort Riley to move the Riley County Police Department shooting range there.
The agreement now goes to the Kansas Attorney General’s Office for a 90-day review period.
The range the RCPD uses now and has for at least 20 years is located a mile south of Zeandale and is leased from James Seymour, who owns the land it sits on.
The county’s lease with Seymour expires June 2019. The county has been paying $1,200 per month for the use of the range.
The range the RCPD would move to at Fort Riley, if approved by the state, is unused and would be rent-free. The county would be responsible for utility costs and any infrastructure improvements.
The agreement with Fort Riley is for 20 years. Fort Riley, however, can back out of the lease at anytime if the range is needed for the military.
Joe Knopp, a Manhattan attorney representing Seymour, was present at Monday’s meeting and told commissioners the county’s lease with Seymour says the county is responsible for returning the range to its prior condition after the conclusion of the agreement.
Knopp cited environmental contamination to Seymour’s land due to spent shell casings and lead.
Commissioners told Knopp they’d revisit the clean-up issue after the review period of the agreement with Fort Riley.
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